China's Shenzhou-18 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from the Tiangong space station on Nov 4, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Tuesday.
Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, briefed the press on the handover plan between the Shenzhou-18 and Shenzhou-19 mission crews at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou-19 spaceship scheduled for Wednesday.
"According to the plan, Shenzhou-19 spacecraft will execute the fast autonomous rendezvous and docking procedures after entering the orbit. The spacecraft will dock with the forward port of the Tianhe core module in 6.5 hours to form a three-module and three-ship assembly. During their stay, the Shenzhou-19 crew will welcome the coming and docking of Tianzhou-8 cargo ship and Shenzhou-20 manned spaceship. The crew is planned to return to the Dongfeng landing site in late April or early May next year," Lin said.
"Now the flight equipment qualities of the spaceship and rocket are under control; the astronaut crew is in good condition, and the facilities and equipment of ground systems are performing well. The space station operates normally in orbit, and all pre-launch preparations are ready. Shenzhou-18 crew plans to return to the Dongfeng landing site on Nov 4 after the two crews complete the handover procedure in orbit," he said.
China's Shenzhou-18 crew to return to Earth on Nov 4 following handover
China's Shenzhou-18 crew to return to Earth on Nov 4 following handover
China's Shenzhou-18 crew to return to Earth on Nov 4 following handover
The recent Israeli airstrikes on multiple sites in Yemen, including Hodeidah Port in the north, could have devastating consequences, potentially further worsening the humanitarian situation in the country, an United Nations official said on Friday.
On Dec 19, Israel launched a series of airstrikes against Houthi targets in northern Yemen, resulting in the destruction of two major power stations in the capital, Sanaa, and several ports along the coast of the Red Sea.
A total of three ports in Hodeidah Province were affected by the airstrikes: the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Isa.
On Thursday, Israel launched another round of airstrikes targeting key infrastructure and Houthi-controlled sites in Sanaa and Hodeidah, according to media reports.
Julien Harneis, UN resident coordinator in Yemen, stated that 80 percent of food and nearly 90 to 95 percent of medical supplies needed in northern Yemen rely on Hodeidah Port for passage, making the port extremely important.
He emphasized that if the port were to break down, it would have catastrophic consequences, leading to a rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
"So, the airstrikes some days ago which destroyed the two tugs was estimated to reduce the harbor capacity by 50 percent. Now, we don't know how long that reduction in capacity will be and we have yet to done a thorough analysis of what the impact of yesterday's airstrikes. So, we're still collecting information and trying to understand that," Harneis said.
The UN predicts that by 2025, the population in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen will rise to 19 million people. If the internal conflict in Yemen persists, this situation may worsen even further, Harneis noted.
Israeli airstrikes on Yemen may trigger devastating consequences: UN official
